Additional Canon EOS-1D X Information

dc.watch.impress.co.jp has posted an interview with the developers of the Canon EOS-1D X. The article, being in Japanese, is completely illegible to me - but Kaz sent me a summary of what he felt was new information. Here are his notes:

1) The 1D X is the first time they were able to combine the features of the 1D and 1Ds, which they couldn't do before due to technological issues. It was a "finally" kind of feeling after 10 years of development.

2) They knew some people would ask for more MP even when they announced the 1D X, but have their ears open and will keep thinking about what the market needs.

3) They're always considering the possibility of MF, but have no current plans to enter that market.

4) Timing of the 1D X announcement was to quell questions about the 1Ds replacement and to warn pros before the Olympics, and in consideration of Nikon, which they consider to be their biggest competitor when it comes to pros.

5) The earthquake had some effect on the 1D X release date, but it's not that. They actually wanted to release it earlier than March, which they feel is still a bit late for the August Olympics.

6) Although they can't say they'll never use them in the future, they are stopping production of APS-H sensors.

7) The APS-H size was more to allow for high-speed shooting, so they're moving fully to full-frame, to focus more on image quality.

8) The Digic 5 is 6 times faster than the Digic 4. The Digic 5+ is 3 times faster than the Digic 5, making it 17 times faster than the Digic 4, allowing for a lot of processing to be done in hardware rather than software.

9) ISO 204800 isn't overkill, as some feel, because some photojournalists need that kind of sensitivity.

10) Noise levels of the 1D X should be 2 stops better in all ISOs compared to the 1D IV.

11) The Digic 4 is now used as an image recognition processor, so it should be more than plenty to deal with the mere 100,000 pixels used for the AE sensor.

12) They know some people want the low-pass filter removed. The low-pass filter in the 1D X is fundamentally the same as previous models, and they decided to keep it in because the benefits outweigh the drawbacks for the pro segment that will use the 1D X.

13) Weather sealing is about the same as previous models.

14) HDR and some lens corrections still can't be done in-body due to processing power issues. But they may be added in future models.

15) Lots of consideration was given to the duplication of buttons in the portrait orientation, as well as preventing accidental pushing of some buttons (like the trash button).

16) Quieting the dial and buttons was also considered for video use.

17) Contrast AF speed is the same as in previous models.

18) The jello effect of the rolling shutter is slightly improved.

19) As for mirrorless, they definitely see the utility of a small camera, but have nothing to report at this time.